Complicated
by matkashi
Summary: Yuu sees an imaginary man who likes kittens. Takanori has to stomp three times before he can walk through a doorway. Shinji is about to be made Chief of Surgery. Akira hasn’t been attending his anger management class... Reita/Aoi Aoi/Uruha the gazette
1. Prologue

Title: Complicated  
Author: **Mat (matkashi)**  
Chapter(s): Prologue/??  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
**Rating:** NC-17  
Genre: Drama/Romance/Comedy/Angst/AU  
Warnings: Sex, adultery, character death, violence, some blood  
**Bands:** the gazette, Alice Nine, Miyavi  
Pairings: Reita/Aoi, Aoi/Uruha, Kai/Uruha, Kai/Ruki, Tora/Aoi, Hiroto/Uruha, Tora/Shou, Reita/OFC, Nao/OFC, Saga/Nao

Summary: _**Yuu sees an imaginary man who likes kittens. Takanori has to stomp three times before he can walk through a doorway. Shinji is about to be made Chief of Surgery. Akira hasn't been attending his anger management class. And Takashi just started his own fashion label. What do all these people have in common? They're friends—and they're about to have their lives thrown upside down. **_

_**-**_

**Cast of Characters (PLEASE READ THESE)**

**(Aoi) Yuu Shiroyama: **A talented guitarist who plays in clubs for cash, Yuu is a passionate man and has schizophrenia in the form of a lively man named Miyavi that follows him everywhere.

**(Uruha) Kouyou Takashima: **An elementary school teacher, Kouyou is especially shy, intelligent, and dependant on his friends.

**(Reita) Akira Suzuki: **A professional kickboxer with a noseband as his trademark, Akira is very protective of his friends and even more of his own pride.

**(Kai) Yutaka Uke: **A freelance architect with an eye for the beauty of things, Yutaka is a generous and kind man who is obsessed with things being symmetrical.

**(Ruki) Takanori Matsumoto: **A famous actor, Takanori is an arrogant, but loyal man who suffers from severe obsessive compulsive disorder.

**(Tora) Shinji Amano: **A skilled surgeon and full of his own set of wisdom, Shinji is the one that the others go to for advice.

**(Hiroto) Hiroto Ogata: **A lively cab driver, Hiroto is one of the friendliest, talkative people in the group who speaks of himself in the third person.

**(Shou) Kazamasa Kohara: **A well-polished escort boy with social skills of high class, Kazamasa is a secretive smooth talker.

**(Saga) Takashi Sakamoto:**__A flamboyant fashion designer with eccentric taste, Takashi is a colorful card who also happens to be a chain smoker.

**(Nao) Naoyuki Murai: **An understanding and sympathetic bartender, Nao is the perfect guy to talk to about a long day.

**(Miyavi) Takamasa Ishihara: **The hyperactive and temperamental imaginary man that's a figment of Yuu's schizophrenia.

-

This is just to introduce you to the boys. The chapters will be longer.

Prologue: The Group

The cab pulled to a stop and all three occupants got out, the driver shutting the door and tossing a packet of cigarettes to one of the others. They walked up to the entrance to the restaurant and waited as the shortest among them stamped his right foot three times in the doorway, causing passerby to look at him strangely. The other two didn't seem to be bothered by his strange actions and merely waited patiently for him to finish before the trio entered the small establishment and walked towards the back, where a trio was sitting at a round table and waving to them.

"Hey guys!" a grinning brunette called as the other three took seats around the table.

"Are we early?" one asked, pulling a cigarette from his pack and lighting it up.

"Nah, the others are late," the brunette replied. "Kouyou, Yutaka, and I have been here a while."

The blond next to him smiled meekly and took a sip of his drink. Yutaka wrapped his arms around Kouyou's shoulders and smiled at the newcomers.

The other took a long drag of his cigarette and nodded. "Did Shinji tell you if he could get off work, Kaza?"

Kazamasa shook his head. "Nah, he wasn't sure. He said there's been a lot of emergency surgeries today, so he couldn't be certain. Sorry, Takashi."

Takashi shrugged and took another drag. "That man is always working. He cuts too many people open, saving lives and shit."

"Hiro thinks that Shinji is admirable for his work," Hiroto muttered, reaching across the table to take a drink of Kouyou's soda. "He saves people."

"He's got a point," the shortest commented. "Shinji is always saving people. Heroic bastard." He was tugging on his ear and staring at the sugar packets on the middle of the table."

"What one do you want?" Yutaka asked.

"The white one."

Yutaka reached over and grabbed a white sugar packet, handing it to the shorter man. "Here you go, Taka."

Takanori took it and smiled gratefully, adjusting his sunglasses. "Thanks."

"Hiro thinks it's lucky that you don't have to eat salt every time you go to a restaurant," Hiroto stated, watching as Takanori opened the sugar packet and poured it into his mouth.

Takanori chuckled. "It's a good thing I'm not diabetic or I'd be in serious shit."

"You know, you won't _really _get sick if you don't eat sugar before a meal," Takashi muttered. "You know that, right?"

Takanori sighed. "Yeah, I know. It's just a habit I can't seem to break."

"Have you been taking your medication?" Yutaka inquired. "Is it helping at all?"

Takanori crumpled up the sugar packet and flicked it at Kazamasa, who ducked and looked over at Takanori, affronted. "Yeah, I've been taking it. I managed to turn the water on lukewarm for my shower yesterday."

"That's great!" Yutaka replied, smiling.

"I'm sorry, but what's so good about that?" Kazamasa asked hesitantly.

"Oh, I keep forgetting you're new," Takanori said, scratching the back of his head. "Since I'm OCD, I have to do strange things. Like… I have to stamp my foot three times in doorways or I'm afraid I'll trip. I have to always use cold water because I think if I don't I'll get terrible burns. I believe I might get sick if I don't eat sugar before every meal. I can't touch knives because I'm terrified I'll cut myself and bleed to death. Stuff like that. I'm a paranoid obsessive compulsive."

"How do you get past all that on set?" Kazamasa questioned, tilting his head to the side.

Takanori was a famous actor who played in some of the top movies in the country. It was a mystery to most how he pulled it off, considering he had a severe case of obsessive compulsive disorder that was made obvious is almost his every movement.

"Well they want me to act in their movies so badly that they basically cater to my every whim," Takanori said with a shrug. "They do whatever I need to help with the issues that arise and in turn I act in their movies. It's a win-win."

Kazamasa opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off when three more walked up to the table.

"Hey guys!" a shorter one said, grinning. "I met up with Akira and Yuu outside. Where's Shinji?"

"Hey, Nao," Yutaka said. "Shinji's in surgery still."

Akira rolled his eyes and adjusted his noseband. "What else is new?"

The three sat down at the table and ordered their drinks from the waitress.

"Damn, Akira, your face looks brutal!" Takashi exclaimed, staring at the blonde's black eye and split lip.

Akira shook his head. "It ain't that bad. Just some prick who thought he could take me. Obviously didn't know who I was."

"What did you do to him?"

Akira smirked. "You can't even recognize the bastard now."

Yutaka sighed. "Akira, have you been going to your anger management classes?"

Akira crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on the chair legs. "No."

"Weren't those court-ordered, though?" Kazamasa questioned.

"So what? The asshole I beat up for that court order had it comin'," Akira snapped, looking defensive and petulant. "I don't need anger management."

"Bullshit," Yuu retorted, taking a drink of his water.

Akira glared at him.

"He has a point, Akira," Nao mumbled. "You've got one hell of a tantrum to throw a lot of the time."

"You make me sound like a kid." Akira sulked.

"You act like one," Yutaka interjected.

"Ah, go to hell," Akira defended. "I ain't goin' to anger management."

"Your parole officer will be thrilled, I'm sure," Yuu grumbled, staring at the tabletop.

Akira scowled and Yutaka pursed his lips. "How's Miyavi, Yuu?"

Yuu glanced over at the other brunette and frowned. "He's fine. Good mood today."

Yutaka nodded. Yuu was a schizophrenic who was followed around constantly by an imaginary man named Miyavi. Unfortunately, Miyavi had mood swings worse than Akira did. Sometimes he would scream at Yuu—say cruel or angry things to him—and yet there were other times he was as happy as could be with an unnatural obsession with kittens. No one could figure him out and Yuu grew very tired of dealing with him.

"He's been good for all of the week," Akira said. "I made Yuu promise me to say if Miyavi has been acting up."

"Aw, come on. I've been good!" Miyavi cooed, leaning over Yuu's shoulder. "I deserve a prize!"

Yuu rolled his eyes and ignored the talkative form hovering behind him.

"Hey everyone!" a voice called from the right.

They all turned to see Shinji walking over to them across the wood floors.

"You're still in your damn scrubs!" Takashi exclaimed, looking disgusted.

Shinji shrugged and sat down at the table. "I wanted to hurry over here. I knew I was late."

"You have no sense of fashion," Takashi muttered with distaste.

"Not all of us are fashion designers, Takashi," Shinji replied, raising his hands in the air in a helpless gesture.

"Well at least you'd think that I rubbed off on you a little!"

Akira chuckled.

"Oh, shut up, Akira," Takashi snapped. "I didn't mean it that way."

"Sure you didn't," Akira responded airily.

Shinji slapped him on the back of the head.

"Ow!" Akira growled. "Why is everybody always pickin' on me?"

Yuu giggled.

"Did you _seriously_ just say that?" Kouyou asked with a small smile.

Akira beamed at him.

"Hiro thinks that we should order our food now. He is hungry," Hiroto stated with a decisive nod.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Takanori agreed, waving a waitress over. "Let's eat."


	2. Chapter 1

Title: Complicated  
Author: **Mat (matkashi)**  
Chapter(s): 1/??  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
**Rating:** NC-17  
Genre: Drama/Romance/Comedy/Angst/AU  
Warnings: Sex, adultery, character death, violence, some blood  
**Bands:** the gazette, Alice Nine, Miyavi  
Pairings: Reita/Aoi, Aoi/Uruha, Kai/Uruha, Kai/Ruki, Tora/Aoi, Hiroto/Uruha, Tora/Shou, Reita/OFC, Nao/OFC, Saga/Nao

Summary: _**Yuu sees an imaginary man who likes kittens. Takanori has to stomp three times before he can walk through a doorway. Shinji is about to be made Chief of Surgery. Akira hasn't been attending his anger management class. And Takashi just started his own fashion label. What do all these people have in common? They're friends—and they're about to have their lives thrown upside down. **_

-

Chapter 1: Who We Are

_Yuu Shiroyama…_

Yuu was born into a middle-class family. His father ran a music shop and his mother was a housewife who had way too much fun making pies and other pastries. Yuu grew up learning how to play the guitar and other various instruments throughout his childhood.

Yuu was a slacker of a high school student. He did only as much as he had to do to get by and the rest of the time he was either playing guitar or working in his dad's shop to earn some extra cash. So that he could save up and move to the city. He was a very talented musician—a skill earned by years of intense practice—and it was discovered in his mid teens that he suffered from a severe case of Schizophrenia that manifested itself in the form of a man who called himself Miyavi.

Miyavi, though playful and excitable for the most part, had a dark side that emerged when Yuu was stressed out or upset. During these times, the invisible man would do his best to insult the raven-haired guitarist and make him feel even more depressed than he already was. Medications were tried, but nothing seemed to work to make Miyavi go away, so Yuu learned to accept the imaginary person as part of his everyday life, trying desperately to listen to others over the loud and constant sound of Miyavi's voice.

His best friend's name was Akira Suzuki. During high school, the two would always ditch classes together only to later get scolded by their friend, Yutaka Uke, for missing class. Akira defended Yuu from bullies at school who made fun of him for his Schizophrenia and Yutaka cleaned both their wounds after such fights, making sure to scold them both thoroughly.

After graduation, Yuu decided to skip out on college and instead move to the city with Akira as his roommate. He played guitar in all the clubs around, making a name for himself as a talented musician in Tokyo. Pretty soon, he was being called to perform at high-priced establishments and it was at one such place that his show was seen by the newly rising fashion designer, Takashi Sakamoto. Impressed with Yuu's musical skills, Takashi introduced him to his friend, a famous actor named Takanori Matsumoto, who then got Yuu's foot in the door in the movie industry and hired him on to compose movie soundtracks.

Miyavi became worse after Yuu's rise to fame and soon he was following Yuu absolutely everywhere, causing him to take a break from work and become almost reclusive in his apartment for five months. It was Akira who finally talked him into going out into the world again and starting back up his composing.

Yuu is now a well-known composer for many movies and even has his own cd out.

He has never been to a single premiere of a movie using his music, although he was invited to all of them.

. . . . .

_Akira Suzuki…_

Akira's mother died at childbirth, leaving him to be abused by his father, who was a drunkard. After years of both physical and psychological abuse, Akira developed a serious anger problem and therefore took to releasing his anger in the form of intense exercise and rough street fights. Buff and with a foul temper, he got suspended from school on numerous occasions for picking fights and causing trouble. He protected his best friend, Yuu, with a dangerous temper and iron fist that took out anyone who tried to fight him.

He was sent to a juvenile detention center when he was sixteen for a year for beating a fellow student unconscious with only his bare hands. When he came back out he declared that he wanted to become a kickboxer and he trained religiously afterward, bulking up and becoming a dangerous opponent for anyone who crossed him.

After high school graduation, he moved to Tokyo with Yuu and they became roommates. He quickly jumped into the world of professional kickboxing, a brutal sport, and made himself known by his trademark noseband that he started wearing just after high school. Mocked constantly by Yuu for wearing the noseband, Akira ignored all the remarks and ended up becoming famous for the facial adornment.

One day after a fight, Akira met with his fans and ended up meeting Hiroto Ogata, a cab driver in the city. The two hit it off and became close friends afterwards. Since Hiroto was looking for something to do with his time and was a huge fan of Akira's, Akira gave him a job as his ringside coach, which Hiroto happily accepted.

Akira's fame as a fighter began to spread around the streets. Soon, he was being accepted into all the high-end bars, where he met bartender Naoyuki Murai. Every time Akira finished up with a fight, he would go back to Nao's bar and talk to the bartender for hours about his thoughts and worries.

Anger problems got in the way, however, after one bad fight. Defeated for the first time in month, Akira took his loss badly and picked a fight with the competitor after it was over. The two beat each other senseless and were both arrested. Akira was sentenced to parole and anger management classes, which he refuses to go to, saying he doesn't have an anger problem.

He then met his girlfriend, Tennicia, an American who recently moved to Japan and was a large fan of Akira's. Hiroto introduced the both of them and they hit it off immediately. Akira later moved out of Yuu's apartment and into a new one with Tennicia, where the couple became engaged two months later. They are due to marry in a year.

Akira is now a nationally known kickboxer with six months of anger management classes to complete.

He has only attended two classes, both of which he ended up getting into a fight with another member.

. . . . .

_Yutaka Uke…_

Yutaka was born into an upper-class family that pushed him constantly to excel at everything he did. Forced to play the violin, learn English, Latin, and Korean, take part in the school soccer team, and make the honor role at school every year, Yutaka was the perfect student and a very talented and intelligent individual.

He hated every moment of his schooling and in an effort to rebel from his parents, he dropped off the soccer team, refused to learn Chinese, and befriended Akira and Yuu, the school rejects. At first, he hated the other two boys, thinking them crude and unrefined, but after a while he became a sort of guardian and word of wisdom to the both of them. He became the one to criticize them for cutting class, talk Akira out of fights, and clean up the cuts and bruises when Akira didn't listen.

He was the one who initially took Yuu to the doctors when Yuu's Schizophrenia began to rear its ugly head. He helped him with medications and even talked to him about ways to get Miyavi to shut up and leave him alone.

After graduation, Yutaka went to a university in Tokyo, majoring to become an architect instead of a doctor like his parents wanted. He lived in the dorms on campus with his roommate, Kouyou Takashima. Kouyou was very shy and Yutaka worked hard to get him out of his shell when they were alone. After two years of college, he finally got Kouyou to open up and soon after they became lovers.

Kouyou's best friend, Shinji Amano, ended up becoming their third roommate in their fourth year and the three of them became inseparable. After college, they all moved into the center of Tokyo, reuniting Yutaka with Akira and Yuu and setting Yutaka into the world of freelance architecture. After applying to work for many companies and being turned down, Yutaka finally got a chance with a well-known architecture and design company and he made his name known with his designs.

He and Kouyou moved in together and Yutaka started running his own architecture business, becoming a talented professional architect that was commended for his unique designs. What man to not know or realize from his designs is that he has an almost compulsive obsession with symmetry. He is constantly adjusting photo frames, aligning books on shelves, and making sure that everything on his desktop is perfectly aligned.

He is now responsible for over ten building structures in the Tokyo area and it grows by the year.

All of his building designs are one hundred percent symmetrical.

. . . . .

_Kouyou Takashima…_

Kouyou was born to a single mother who did her best to take care of her children. She worked two jobs and left him home alone with his younger sister, Aki. Kouyou took care of Aki to the best of his ability as a young boy, feeding her, entertaining her, and cleaning up her scrapes when she fell. He was more of a parent than his mother due to her constant absence by being at work.

In high school, Kouyou was beaten up constantly and made fun of for his feminine looks. The abuse from his peers caused him to become very introverted and shy. He rarely said anything until he met Shinji, who convinced him to smile a little and try to talk more. Shinji became the only person Kouyou would ever talk to and the two remained friends throughout all of high school.

Kouyou's mother married when he was a senior in school and she was finally able to drop one of her jobs and take care of Kouyou and Aki more. Grateful for the freedom, Kouyou decided to take up a part time job as a preschool teacher to save up money and have fun with the children there. He enjoyed the job so much that he decided upon graduation to become an elementary school teacher.

He and Shinji both went to the university in Tokyo, where Kouyou studied how to become a teacher and became roommates with Yutaka. After her and Yutaka became lovers, Kouyou began to be more social again, still only speaking when he absolutely had to. When they got their degrees, Yutaka and Kouyou moved into an apartment together in the city, where Kouyou became a teacher at a school nearby.

His attitude with the children is far different than when he is with adults his own age. With children, he laughs, smiles, and is contrastingly outgoing, surprising all those who know him and making everyone want to see what he's like at school, just to see the "alive" side of Kouyou.

When he had developed an established place at the elementary school, he was offered the position of principal at the exact same time that he received word of his mother's death. Refusing the promotion, Kouyou went back to his hometown for his mother's funeral and to make sure his sister was alright. When he returned to Tokyo, the position had been filled and he was forced to remain a homeroom teacher.

He is now the most liked teacher in the elementary school and is adored by the parents.

He keeps drawings from his students on the fridge at his and Yutaka's apartment.

. . . . .

_Takanori Matsumoto…_

Takanori was born prematurely to a poor family that didn't have enough money to keep him. He was put into foster care and was raised by a kind family that lived simply. He constantly put on plays for his family when he was a child, entertaining them all with his creative mind and desire to perform. When he was nine, his foster father passed away and the family could no longer afford to keep him, so he was sent back into the system again.

His second family was nowhere near as loving as his first. They found his desire to perform annoying and forbid him from acting in the house. Due to the fact that his new foster parents were neglectful, he was often left alone to watch movie after movie and being left to his own devices, he developed a very overactive imagination. Soon, he began to have irrational fears about becoming injured somehow and the paranoia developed into a full blown case of obsessive compulsive disorder that manifested itself when he was twelve.

He had an overwhelming fear of hot water, thinking it would burn his skin off. He couldn't touch sharp objects, afraid that he would cut himself too deeply and bleed to death. He began needing to eat plain sugar before he ate his meals, for fear it would upset his stomach and make him ill otherwise. He found himself stamping his feet in doorways so as not to trip when he walked through them, and he started to hum whenever he heard a siren so that his eardrums wouldn't burst. The list of compulsions was endless and his foster family became so fed up with it all that they refused to take care of him any longer and put him back into the system once more when he was fifteen.

His third family was very helpful with his condition. They took him to a psychiatrist and got him medication, but that didn't stop some of his odd habits from appearing at school and causing kids to mock him and call him retarded. Not allowing himself to be weighed down by his OCD, Takanori held his head high and graduated high school with honors, leaving his home to try and become an actor.

He got roles in a few B movies at first before he was discovered by a director as asked to play a leading role in his upcoming movie. With that opportunity, Takanori shot to stardom overnight on the luck of the draw. The more movies he starred in, the more famous he got. Soon, directors were catering to his needs as an obsessive compulsive and he was no longer mocked for his condition. His fame quickly rose and he made friends of Takashi, a fashion designer who designed a lot of Takanori's clothes.

Takashi introduced him to Yuu, a guitarist, and Takanori liked the musician so much that he helped him get a leg into the movie business and become a composer. For the first time in years, Takanori found a friend in Takashi and Yuu and they were practically inseparable.

He is now one of the most famous actors in Tokyo with over ten hit movies.

His first foster mother keeps in touch with him to tell him how proud she is.

. . . . .

_Shinji Amano…_

Shinji was born in a poor family that could barely afford to take care of him and his two brothers. His father worked in a factory and his mother was a waitress that did her best to juggle taking care of him and his brothers with working. Neither of his parents ever completed college, and Shinji being their eldest son, they wanted desperately for him to become educated and successful in their place.

During high school, Shinji worked his hardest to take care of his little brothers to help his mom while working to keep on the honor role at school and stay at the top of his class. He met the shy and meek Kouyou during his school days and immediately took the other boy under his wing, trying to convince him to open up and become more social. Kouyou took to Shinji and Shinji alone, only smiling on rare occasion for him and talking somewhat. The two became the best of friends and Shinji made sure to make it so people stopped bullying the feminine blond.

When they graduated, the both set off to university in Tokyo, where Shinji went to medical school to make his parents proud. It was his intention to become a doctor and send the money he got back to his family so that they could live better. Unfortunately, during his stay at university, one of his younger brothers was in a car accident and die, causing Shinji to leave university to go back home and help his parents and little brother cope.

When he returned to college six months later, he became roommates with Yutaka and Kouyou, where the three developed a deep bond. He continued on with his schooling for the next few years and then became an intern at Tokyo hospital. Barely able to live by his current salary, Shinji was forced to only watch as his father lost his job due to the economy and his family began to struggle. He took on a part time job, barely leaving himself any time to sleep or eat, and he sent all the money he could to his family.

When Yutaka hit success as an architect, he gave Shinji some money to help his family, for which Shinji will be forever grateful. When Shinji became a resident at the hospital, he got a pay raise and was able to drop his second job and sent his family small bits of money here and there. His father found another job and his family began to get back on its feet just as Shinji became a full-on surgeon.

During one of his days off, Shinji decided to hire an escort service just to see what it was all about, which was how he met the young escort by the name of Kazamasa Kohara. He and Kazamasa quickly became friends and the boy was brought into his circle.

He is now one of the leading surgeons in his hospital and is up for the position of Chief of Surgery.

His parents are very proud.

. . . . .

_Kazamasa Kohara…_

Kazamasa was given to an orphanage as a baby. Raised by the nuns who ran the orphanage, he grew up being taught all the ways of the bible and how he should follow it. Being a very rebellious and active spirit, he never chose to follow their teachings. He was constantly causing trouble at the orphanage and being punished, which was why he ran away when he was fourteen.

Uneducated except for the orphanage's teachings, Kazamasa had a lot of trouble finding work that he could perform. He was completely broke and was forced to sleep in alleys and parks for almost a week without food or a roof over his head. So, when he met with a suspicious man who offered to give him a place to stay if he worked for him, Kazamasa was quick to accept. Naively, he became a worker for the man, whose business was prostitution. Sold on the street corner for high prices of cash because he was so young, Kazamasa became a quickly popular piece of flesh.

Somehow, Kazamasa didn't allow his area of expertise to dampen his spirit. He was shamefully skilled at what he did and he always left with a smile, even if it was a broken one. In fact, he became so well-liked that he was offered a position as an escort in a high-class escort service—a position that he gladly accepted, liking the lack of sex that was involved. He was liked immediately in this new line of work, his bright smile and melodious laugh just as appealing as his young face and sparkling eyes.

During his work as an escort, he took up art and began sketching the people that he saw. He would remember the faces of all the men that hired him for his services and draw them when he went home to his small apartment. He pasted the pictures up on his walls and would smile as he walked by them.

It wasn't long before he realized he could sell his pieces of art, and when he wasn't working as an escort, he would go to the park and offer to draw people's pictures for cash. It wasn't enough to support him, but he thought that maybe, just maybe, he could have his own art gallery one day, so he saved his money in thought that he might be able to have his own gallery display in the future.

One day, a man named Shinji asked for his services and the both of them hit it off dramatically. For the first time in a very long time, Kazamasa gained a friend. The two became very close and Shinji was the subject of many of Kazamasa's drawings, leading to Shinji buying several of his works.

Kazamasa continued to sell his work where he met a man who worked at an art gallery nearby in the city. Impressed by Kazamasa's eye for detail and the beauty of things, the man, named Goshi, offered to show some of Kazamasa's drawings in his gallery. Thrilled, Kazamasa accepted immediately.

He is now a featured artist in one of Tokyo's most known traditional medium galleries.

He is still an escort boy, but hopes to get noticed and have his artwork bought for higher prices.

. . . . .

_Hiroto Ogata…_

Hiroto was adopted as a baby by a blind woman and her husband. They were both loving and devoted parents that were well-off enough to take care of Hiroto comfortably. He grew up being taught to say who he was whenever he spoke to his mother because she was blind, so Hiroto grew accustomed to referring to himself in the third person in order to let his mother know who he was when he spoke.

During high school, he got teased a lot for how he spoke, but Hiroto simply never thought of changing his speech to first person because he spoke that way at home already and he couldn't seem to break the habit. He didn't have many friends in high school because his peers thought he was a bit strange and far too nice to be for real, so Hiroto stuck to staying at home and watching sports on television. His favorites were sports car racing and kickboxing, which he watched religiously.

He dreamed of moving into the city and becoming a famous racecar driver, but his mother fell ill and he wasn't able to get the driving training he needed, so he forgot about his dream during his high school years and focused on helping his father take care of his mother.

When he graduated high school, he attempted to get training to become a racecar driver, but failed, so he used his license to become a cab driver in the city and earn some money to pay for an operation his mother needed. By day he worked driving a cab and by night he worked in a gas station, trying to scrounge up enough cash to help his parents.

Unfortunately, when he was nineteen his mother passed away. Devastated, Hiroto became a fulltime cab driver and distracted himself by getting to know the people he drove around. He loved listening to their stories and hearing about how their days had gone. It was his hobby and his life. One day in a cab he met a lovely girl named Tennicia and they exchanged numbers, becoming friends.

One night, he heard that a kickboxing fight was being held in the city with one of his favorite fighters, Akira Suzuki. So, he bought a ticket with a backstage pass to meet Suzuki himself and went to the fight. That night, he met Akira and they quickly became friends, which led to Hiroto introducing Tennicia to Akira.

The problem was, Hiroto had saved up a bunch of money for his mother's surgery, but now that it was no longer needed, he wasn't sure what to do with it, so he stashed the money aside and decided that one day he would use it for something good that would make his mother proud.

In telling Akira just how big a fan of kickboxing he was, Hiroto found Akira offering to him the position of his ringside coach, which Hiroto gladly accepted and took up a spot on the sidelines of the fights as well as continuing his cab driving.

He is now the most enthusiastic ringside coach Akira has ever had.

He has cleaned up more of Akira's wounds than Akira's doctor.

. . . . .

_Takashi Sakamoto…_

Takashi grew up in a normal, everyday family, but his parents knew right from the start that he wasn't like any other child. Even when he was a toddler, Takashi would dress up in his sister's and mother's clothing, giggling like a fool when he was walking around in heels and a dress.

As he grew older, his parents saw how he acted in an extremely feminine way and showed no interest in sports or "normal" boy activities. He was mocked in school for how flamboyant he was, but it never bothered him in the least. Takashi was happy to be who he was, and in high school he began to fill notebooks full of clothing designs. His dream was to become a fashion designer, and he ever got his own job so he could have enough money to afford fabrics and sewing kits.

He became the costume designer for the drama club and theatre in school and his clothing was incredibly impressive for the designs of a teenager. His parents, luckily, were supportive of him and his decisions and interests and helped him go to design school where he managed to hone his skills after he graduated high school.

He moved to Tokyo, where he showed off his clothing designs to the best fashion labels, and after three long months, a label picked up his designs and he got his name. After two years of working for that label, he decided to bravely start his own and with the best luck possible, the label took off and he became the best new fashion designer in Tokyo.

His own fame rising, he was hired on as the actor Takanori Matsumoto's main clothing designer and paid a high price for his designs. When he was in a bar one night, a guitarist came to play and he loved his music so much that he decided to meet him. The guitarist was Yuu Shiroyama and with a strong desire to help the musician, Takashi introduced him to Takanori, helping him get into the movie music composition business.

He is now one of the top fashion designers in Tokyo, with celebrities modeling his fashion.

He is a chain smoker who smokes about two packs a day.

. . . . .

_Naoyuki Murai…_

Nao was born into a family of six children. He was the middle child, younger than his two sisters and older than his three brothers. Because their parents had to work hard to keep all mouths fed and beds warm, Nao and his sisters were the ones to take care of the three youngest boys. Nao became the one his siblings would go to when they had trouble. He was the mediator of the family.

Nao was the kind of kid with friends in every group. He was always easy to talk to and loved striking up conversation with just about anyone. He was voted most popular in school, but he was never really interested in how popular he was. He simply loved people and being in groups.

During high school, he was on the football team. He was so good that he got a scholarship to Tokyo university if he played on their football team. He graduated and took the scholarship, making his way to university and playing on the team. Tragically, during a game Nao was tackled by an opposing team member and he broke his ankle.

The injury itself wasn't serious, but the manner of the break meant that Nao would never be able to fully walk on it again. Because of this, he was forced to drop out of college and off the football team, never to play again. With nowhere to live and not wanting to go back to his home, he took up a job bartending in a nice club and began serving drinks to the rich and famous of Tokyo.

He saw many interesting people in his job as a bartender, including the famous kickboxer, Akira Suzuki. Akira would come to the club many nights and just talk to Nao about his life and trouble. Nao, having been the person everyone would talk to in his family and at school, was the perfect friend to lend an ear and give advice to the trouble kickboxer.

Nao met his girlfriend, Kihiko, one night at the bar when she came asking for a drink crying her eyes out. He found out that her boyfriend had just broken up with her and she was devastated, so Nao talked her through it and ended up getting her number after that. They've been dating for three months.

He is now lead bartender at the club he works at.

He still walks with a limp.

. . . . .

_You will never know what people you will meet in your life or for what reason, but all you should know is that every person in your life is precious. For whatever reason—whatever purpose—the people are in your life were meant to be there, so cherish them._


	3. Chapter 2

Title: Complicated  
Author: **Mat (matkashi)**  
Chapter(s): 2/??  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
**Rating:** NC-17  
Genre: Drama/Romance/Comedy/Angst/AU  
Warnings: Sex, adultery, character death, violence, some blood  
**Bands:** the gazette, Alice Nine, Miyavi  
Pairings: Reita/Aoi, Aoi/Uruha, Kai/Uruha, Kai/Ruki, Tora/Aoi, Hiroto/Uruha, Tora/Shou, Reita/OFC, Nao/OFC, Saga/Nao

Summary: _**Yuu sees an imaginary man who likes kittens. Takanori has to stomp three times before he can walk through a doorway. Shinji is about to be made Chief of Surgery. Akira hasn't been attending his anger management class. And Takashi just started his own fashion label. What do all these people have in common? They're friends—and they're about to have their lives thrown upside down. **_

-

Chapter 2: Work 

_Yuu dreams of silence._

"Are you gonna eat that?"

Yuu sighed and continued to poke at his sandwich, looking as though he'd rather shoot himself than eat it.

"If you don't want it, I'll take it," Miyavi said, peering at the food.

"You can't eat, you asshole," Yuu grumbled. "You're not real."

"Well you sure know how to hurt a guy's feelings, eh?" Miyavi retorted, pouting. "Here I was, just wanting a bite of that sandwich, and you have to go and be a spoilsport."

"You're annoying," Yuu muttered. "You know that?"

"I try my best."

Yuu groaned and pushed the sandwich aside, standing from the table and walking into the living room to his guitar stand. Silently, he sat down on the couch and swung the guitar into his lap, calloused fingers sliding over the neck and hand grabbing one of his picks off the side table.

He glanced at a stack of papers covered in chords and tabs on the coffee table and sighed.

"If they have you compose any more, you'll run out of music!" Miyavi declared, pumping his fist into the air.

"It pays the bills," Yuu murmured, jotting something down on a piece of paper and holding the pen between his teeth to play a chord on the guitar.

Miyavi skipped to the other side of the couch and leaned over it to watch Yuu play, tilting his head like a curious child. "Which movie is this for?"

"Shut up," Yuu snapped. "I need to concentrate."

Miyavi whined. "Which movie?"

Yuu scowled. "The romantic comedy. You know, the one with the dog?"

"Oh, I remember that one."

Yuu rolled his eyes. "You remember it because _I_ do, you dumb shit. Now leave me alone. I have to finish this song by Monday." He played a few more chords and then nodded to himself, writing it down in his notebook.

Miyavi sniffed. "You need to get laid."

Yuu dropped his pick.

. . . . .

_Takashi dreams of inspiration._

Takashi sighed and took a drag of his cigarette, staring out over the back parking lot to his studio. Inside, he could hear the bustling murmur of his staff members working to put together the new fashion line in time for the runway show that was happening later that week.

Pursing his lips, he tossed the cigarette butt to the ground and stubbed it out with the toe of his leather boots hiding beneath designer jeans hugging his hips.

He pulled the door open and walked back inside, rolling his eyes at the panicked look of his assistant as he tried desperately to stop a piece of cloth from falling off a mannequin. He grabbed some pins off a nearby table and walked over to the doll, pushing his assistant aside to pin up the shirt sleeve and send the younger man a baleful glare.

"Pins," he said. The assistant cowered. "Learn how to use them or I _will_ fire you, darling."

With a jerk of his head and a flick of his wrist, he left the sputtering assistant with the mannequin.

"Takashi," a woman called. "Takashi-san!"

The brunette turned and gave the woman a questioning look. "What?"

"How is this dress?"

He chewed his lower lip and surveyed the article of clothing before him. "Three inches shorter and instead of the belt I want you to bunch the left hip with a tie. Subtle. Not overly done. She'll be wearing that on the red carpet. Make it elegant."

The woman nodded almost spastically and ran off, screaming to the other designers about strings.

Takashi frowned and walked into his office, shutting the door. He felt tired—drained—and it wasn't just because he was overworked. Something felt dull and lifeless about his job lately, as though he wasn't doing exactly what he should be with his life. Yes, he loved design and fashion. He loved it with all his heart, but there was something missing.

He only wished he knew what it was.

. . . . .

_Hiroto dreams of recognition._

"Twenty-first and main. Nakagawa building."

"Of course," Hiroto said with a smile. "Hiro can get you there, ma'am." He started up the taxi and pulled out into traffic. "May Hiro ask your reasons to go to the Nakagawa building?"

The woman glanced up at the rearview mirror, meeting his eyes and staring as though she was judging his character. He swallowed nervously and kept his smile in place.

"My husband and I are getting a divorce," she said finally, sighing. "My lawyer works in the Nakagawa building."

"Hiro is very sorry to hear that, miss," Hiroto said, frowning. "Why are you getting a divorce?"

"He cheated on me," the woman said, sniffling. She pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes.

"Hiro is sure you will find someone much more worthy of you, ma'am."

She smiled through watery eyes. "Thank you, dear. You're very sweet. You don't happen to be available, do you?" She giggled and Hiroto laughed.

"You wouldn't want Hiro, ma'am. Hiro would be a bad boyfriend," Hiroto said honestly.

"Nonsense!" the woman chided. "You're a darling, truly."

Hiroto smiled. "Thank you, miss."

"You're quite welcome," she replied. They pulled up next to the Nakagawa building and she tucked her handkerchief away. "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" Hiroto said, turning around and giving her a bright smile.

. . . . .

_Kouyou dreams of confidence._

The sky was overcast and the air was cold, making the children shiver in their puffy coats with red noses and puffs of fog appearing with their laughter.

Kouyou watched from the side of the playground as the kids ran about, screaming and laughing amongst themselves as they played their own imaginary games of good guy and bad guy in the cold day.

He shifted his weight and pulled his suede jacket tighter around his slim form. The day was a terribly cold one and he wasn't exactly fond of being outside freezing his ass off, but the kids needed their play time or they went crazy in class.

"Kouyou."

Startled, Kouyou turned to see who had called him. The rush of another class coming out to join them on the playground swept past and another homeroom teacher walked up beside him.

"Hi, Tenyo."

Tenyo smiled. "How are you today, buddy?"

Kouyou shrugged and gave him a polite smile. "I'm alright. The children are wreaking havoc, though."

"Yeah, kids can do that," Tenyo replied, nodding and stuffing his hands in his coat pockets. "Listen, some of us are going out for drinks after school. Do you want to join us?"

Kouyou took in a deep breath and looked away. "I have a lot to do after school today. Class has a new art project and I have to organize papers for the parent-teacher meet next Wednesday."

Tenyo frowned. "Oh, alright. Well, if you change your mind, we'll be at the Sakanchi bar over south."

Kouyou nodded. "Definitely."

But they both knew Kouyou had no intention of going.

. . . . .

_Shinji dreams of peace._

"Doctor Amano to ward B."

Shinji groaned and grabbed his clipboard, adjusting his green scrubs and taking off in a quick walk towards the ward.

"What is it?" he asked as soon as he saw the nurse who had paged him.

"We've got a real bleeder in operation room C-2," she said, walking with him down the hall. "He was shot twice in a gang fight downtown. Took them twenty minutes to get him here and he's already been bleeding out for another ten on the pavement."

"Bullets still inside him?" Shinji asked, grabbing a mask and gloves outside the operating room.

The nurse nodded. "Yep, and they're lodged in nice and tight. One missed his heart by inches."

"Alright, thank you," Shinji said, entering the room.

The man was on the table, blood everywhere with a dazed and terrified look in his eyes.

"Have you given him sedatives?" Shinji inquired, walking up to the tableside and adjusting the lamp above it.

"Yes, Doctor," a woman on the other side said, handing him a sponge.

"Good, what's his name?"

"Peter Schemer."

Shinji leaned over the heaving chest of the man and looked him in the eye as he grabbed his tools and set to working on the wound in his shoulder. "Mister Schemer, you're going to be alright. I just need to take these bullets out and I'll sew you up good as new."

Peter blinked fearfully at him.

Shinji positioned the clip above the wound. "You're going to feel some pain here because we aren't able to put you completely out, but the sedatives will work as a pain reliever, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, he quickly pushed the tool in and fished around for the bullet. Peter groaned in pain and the nurse held the wound open so Shinji could grab the bullet and pull it out.

"The other one went clean through his leg," the nurse said.

Shinji nodded sharply. "Good, then let's patch this guy up and get him on a blood bag."

. . . . .

_Akira dreams of rest._

"Left. Right. Duck. Kick. Again!"

Akira punched out when his coached called it, ducked, kicked, swung out, all in perfect precision, hitting dents in the punching bag as he panted and dripped with sweat.

His normally spike hair was wet and clinging in tendrils to his face, soaking through his noseband and making it hard to breathe. He refused to take the band off, saying it got him into the mindset he needed to fight. The noseband was what made him Reita, the national kickboxing champion.

"Left. Right. Switch!"

He coach continued to call out moves and Akira began to feel the strain of his muscles protesting the past three hours of training. His stomach was clenched and sore, his back stiff, and his neck tired, but he didn't stop. He needed to train for the upcoming match the next day. He had to be in top form, which meant training until he felt like dying.

"Kick. Duck. Left hook!" his coach shouted. "You can do better than that, Suzuki!"

Akira grunted and punched the bag with all his might, teeth clenching around the guard in his mouth that he likes to use even when he wasn't fighting. He said biting it kept him focused.

He sighed and willed his limps to slow to a stop, spitting the guard into his hand and grabbing his water bottle.

"Something on your mind, Suzuki?" the coach asked.

Akira shook his head, sending droplets of sweat into the air, and took a swig of his water. "I'm fine, coach."

"You seem distracted."

"You sayin' I'm not making my hits right?" Akira asked, brows furrowed.

"No, you're on it just like you always are," the coach replied. "But there's a different look in your eyes. You're thinking about something."

"It ain't got nothin' to do with my training, so no need to talk about it," Akira replied stubbornly.

"Been going to your anger management classes?"

Akira groaned and threw his head back in irritation. "Why does everyone always ask me that?"

. . . . .

_Takanori dreams of chaos._

He was humming. Humming right in the middle of shooting a scene. Why was he humming? It was because there was a siren passing by outside.

His costar sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, waiting for the siren to pass so Takanori could stop humming and get on with the scene.

It passed and Takanori stopped, nodding apologetically to everyone in the room, including the camera. "So where were we?"

The director frowned. "Why don't we take a break. We've been at this scene for two hours. Everyone take twenty."

Takanori nodded and set off towards his trailer, stamping his foot three times in the set doorway before stepping outside. The day was bleak and looked like rain, just the kind of day Takanori didn't like. With a small scowl, he made his way to the trailer and inside it, sitting down in a small chair and staring at the mirror in front of him. He tapped it twice to make sure the mirror wouldn't suddenly break while he was sitting there and then let out a heavy breath.

He knew the director had called a break because of him. That was the third siren to pass by that scene. Apparently a lot of people were breaking the law that day. Takanori was frustrated with himself. He knew it was stupid that he had to hum. He _knew_ his eardrums wouldn't burst if he heard the siren, but for some reason he couldn't stop himself.

He thought the medication was supposed to be helping with that, but apparently not. Sure, he had made some progress here and there. One time he had only stamped twice in a doorway. Another time he had been able to eat a whole meal without eating sugar first. They were small steps, but it was something and Takanori was proud of himself for that.

He only wished that his OCD wouldn't get in the way of his work. He had interrupted almost every scene at least once with his problems, and though the director was willing to put up with anything to get Takanori in his movie, it was still extremely agitating.

He stared at his own reflection in the mirror and frowned. Would he ever be free of this burden?

. . . . .

_Kazamasa dreams of love._

"You have a customer!"

Silence.

"Kaza, you have a customer!"

Kazamasa shot up off the couch, startled. He adjusted his pink silk shirt and sighed. "Sorry. I was taking a nap."

"No more naps," his boss snapped. "You have a customer at table three. He requested you specifically."

"Why me? Has he been here before?" Kazamasa asked, frowning.

His boss shrugged. "I don't recognize him, but it doesn't matter. He paid a high price for you, kid. Go work your magic."

Kazamasa nodded and walked out into the main floor, heading towards table three. Three men were all sitting around it, laughing and drinking scotch. Businessmen.

Taking a deep breath, Kazamasa brought a small, alluring smile to the surface and walked over to the table. "Hello boys," he said, resting his hands on his hips. "Which one of you gentlemen requested me?"

One with short, spiked hair gave him a sleazy grin and patted his thigh. "It was me. Aren't you a pretty thing?" He looked Kazamasa up and down and Kazamasa resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "My friend told me about you. Said you were the best escort he ever had."

Kazamasa smiled politely. "Well you'll have to thank your friend for me."

The man leered and Kazamasa kept his small smile, delicately bowing his head and looking away to portray timidity in seduction. His lips were tilted and a tongue darted out, moistening the pouting flesh. The man's eyes followed the movement and she shifted in his seat, staring almost rudely.

"Would you like another drink?" Kazamasa asked, gesturing towards the empty scotch glass in front of the man.

The man smirked and nodded. "Get me something you like and we'll share," he said.

Kazamasa shook his head and winked. "Now, now, you know escorts aren't allowed to drink. I'll get you another scotch." He twisted his hips and walked away to the bar.

The bartender chuckled. "Got yourself quite a card today, Kaza."

Kazamasa rolled his eyes. "You have _no_ idea."

. . . . .

_Yutaka dreams of passion._

"I like this one." The client picked up one of the sketches and slid it across the table to Yutaka.

Yutaka grabbed it and held it up to the light. "Yes, this one is my favorite."

"We want to start construction on the new mall by September. Do you think you could have a full array of architectural map outs by then?" the client asked, sipping his coffee. "We need more than just sketches if we're to start this up."

Yutaka nodded. "Of course. I can have them done in two weeks."

"Two weeks!" the man exclaimed. "Can you honestly deal out _quality _that quickly?"

Yutaka steepled his fingers. "Mister Yamamoto," he said slowly. "My work is _always_ quality."

Yamamoto laughed. "I like you."

Yutaka shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "You hired me to design your mall because you believe I'm the best. Naturally, I'll give you the best if that's what you want."

"It is what I want," Yamamoto replied. "And I know you'll deliver, Yutaka. I'll see you in two weeks, then."

Yutaka gathered up the papers and stood from the table, holding his hand out to shake Yamamoto's. "Two weeks."

He walked out of the meeting room and down the hall to his office. Adjusting his tie, he pushed the door open and collapsed into his desk chair, tossing the sketches carelessly onto his desk. He rubbed his hands over his face and groaned. "Two weeks. Way to force another two weeks without sleep, Yutaka," he chastised himself.

He needed to promise such deadlines because it was one of the reasons people hired him. His work was not only genius, it was _fast_, and people loved speed when it came to construction and design.

He bit his lower lip and grabbed his coffee mug, taking a swig of the lukewarm drink and grimacing.

It was going to be a long two weeks.

. . . . .

_Nao dreams of honesty._

"Martini, three olives."

"Coming right up!" Nao said cheerily, spinning the mixer in his hand and grabbing a glass. He poured the drink and speared the olives, dropping them into the drink and handing it off to the man sitting at the bar.

The man took it and paid him, sighing. "So is it true what they say about bartenders giving good advice?"

Nao looked up, surprised. "Well I'm not sure if I can give you advice, but I can always listen if you'd like someone to talk to."

The man sighed again and Nao prepared himself for a long story.

"I think I'm gay," he said.

Nao's eyebrows rose. He hadn't been expecting that. "Why is that?"

"I cheated on my wife with a man," the man replied.

"Well that's definitely a good reason, then," Nao responded. "So, what are you going to do?"

"My wife is going to her lawyer today to get the divorce papers," the man muttered, taking a sip of his drink.

"And your lover?"

"He's not my lover. It was a one-time thing," the man answered, rubbing his temples. "But still, I think I'm gay."

Nao nodded. "Well there's nothing wrong with that."

The man shrugged and tossed back the rest of his drink. "I just don't know what to do now. That's all."

"Well looks to me like maybe you should start dating guys instead of marrying women, for a start."

The man laughed. "That's a good point."

Nao smiled. "I thought so too."


	4. Chapter 3

Title: Complicated  
Author: **Mat (matkashi)**  
Chapter(s): 3/??  
Disclaimer: Not mine.  
**Rating:** NC-17  
Genre: Drama/Romance/Comedy/Angst/AU  
Warnings: Sex, adultery, character death, violence, some blood  
**Bands:** the gazette, Alice Nine, Miyavi  
Pairings: Reita/Aoi, Aoi/Uruha, Kai/Uruha, Kai/Ruki, Tora/Aoi, Hiroto/Uruha, Tora/Shou, Reita/OFC, Nao/OFC, Saga/Nao

Summary: _**Yuu sees an imaginary man who likes kittens. Takanori has to stomp three times before he can walk through a doorway. Shinji is about to be made Chief of Surgery. Akira hasn't been attending his anger management class. And Takashi just started his own fashion label. What do all these people have in common? They're friends—and they're about to have their lives thrown upside down. **_

-

I have officially decided that "Kazamasa" is fucking hard to type quickly without screwing up.

Chapter 3: Helping Hand

Kouyou sat at his desk and watched as the children used crayons and colored pencils to each devise their own creation of elementary school artworks. He licked his lips and continued to glue the finished drawings to a long roll of construction paper to hang up in the hallway.

"Mister Takashima," a little girl whined, jumping up and down in her chair.

He glanced up. "What is it, Suki?"

"I have to go potty!" she cried.

He nodded towards the door. "You can go."

She hopped out of her desk seat and hurried off out the door, making Kouyou shake his head in amusement.

Moments later, a tall man walked through the door and up to Kouyou's desk, peering down at him. "Kouyou, may I speak to you in the hall for a moment?"

Kouyou frowned. "Of course. Kids, say his to Principal Hiroki."

"Hi Principal Hiroki!" the kids chorused with bright smiles.

"Hi children. Continue with your drawings," Hiroki muttered, nodding.

Kouyou stood and followed him out into the hall. "Is something wrong, Hiroki?"

The principal shook his head. "Not exactly. I'm just here to warn you. Board members will be coming here in a month to check out our teachers and they've told me they're looking for teachers that excel at their positions." He sighed. "The board is making some faculty cuts, but you're less likely to be cut if you're unique." He put a hand on Kouyou's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "Kouyou, you are one of the best teachers in this school, if not _the_ best. We can't afford to lose you."

"What would you like me to do?" Kouyou asked, glancing back in his classroom to make sure the children were behaving.

"Learn a trade," Hiroki said. "A specific skill that could make you stand out and help in the classroom with teaching. Make yourself… unique."

Kouyou scratched the back of his neck. "I'll do my best."

Hiroki pat his shoulder and smiled. "You've got one month to think of something. Best of luck, Kouyou."

"Thank you for the warning, Hiroki."

"Of course. The school would suffer a severe blow if we lost you."

. . . . .

"It's shit."

"I beg your pardon?"

The man glared and leaned over the table. "The song. I listened to it. It's shit."

Yuu scowled. "It's not shit."

"I don't know who you're kidding, Shiroyama," the man snapped. "That composition was utter bullshit. A high schooler could make it. I don't know if you've forgotten, but in this industry we're big boys now. I don't want shit a kid could hand over to me after a week of composing. Fuck, probably less."

Miyavi giggled and Yuu's eyes narrowed. "What didn't you like about it?"

The man threw his hands up in the air. "It's too simple. Knock up the piano bits, add in some more strings, and maybe some staccato."

"I thought you wanted minimalism," Yuu replied, gritting his teeth. "Minimalism is simple. Make up your mind."

The man sniffed. "Minimize some more strings and piano, then."

Yuu stood from the chair and grabbed his disk off the table. "You'll have it in a week."

"Four days," the man replied, eyes hard.

Yuu rolled his eyes and walked to the door, pausing when he heard the man clear his throat.

"And Yuu, don't forget the staccato."

. . . . .

"What's wrong?"

Nao glanced up to see Hiroto staring down at him with concern. "Hiro?"

Hiroto smiled and sat down at the opposite end of the café table. "Hiro was driving his cab down the street when Hiro saw you sitting here. You look sad, Nao-kun. What's wrong?"

Nao stared into his tea and sighed. "I'm not used to telling people about my problems. It's usually the other way around," he muttered.

Hiroto nodded. "It must be hard to always be hearing other people's problems."

Nao shrugged and took a sip of his tea. "I suppose. I'm used to it."

"Would you like to tell Hiroto about what's on your mind?" Hiroto asked. "Hiroto is also used to hearing about people's troubles when he drives them places."

"It's just my girlfriend," Nao muttered, pursing his lips. "She's been distant lately. I feel like she's hiding something."

Hiroto tilted his head to the side, curious. "Do you think she's cheating, Nao-kun?"

Nao chuckled humorlessly. "Probably. After all, who wants a limping cripple bartender like me? I wouldn't blame her if she cheated."

There was a soft sigh and Hiroto stood from his chair, walking over to Nao and pulling a chair up next to him. "Look at Hiroto, Nao-kun."

Nao raised his eyebrows and looked over at his friend.

Hiroto had a serious expression on his face and he stared Nao right in the eyes. "Nao-kun, Hiro never wants to hear you talk about yourself like that again." He reached up and squeezed the back of Nao's neck, smiling warmly. "You deserve a loyal companion and if that girl is cheating on you, she's a fool, in Hiro's opinion." He nodded decisively and Nao smiled.

"Thank you, Hiro."

"You never need to thank a friend, Nao-kun."

. . . . .

"Okay, let's close this guy up," Shinji said quietly as he stared down into the open abdomen of his patient. "Someone get my forehead." He held his bloodied gloves out in front of himself as a nurse walked over and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Thank you." With a sigh, he began to sew the wound closed, blinked slowly in the bright light of the operation room.

"Alright, get this guy to a room. We're done here."

There were relieved nods and the man was wheeled out of the OR as shinji pulled his gloves off and tossed them into the trash, tugging down his mask and taking in a lungful of air. He glanced down at his bloodied scrubs and frowned. Walking out of the OR, he stopped short when he saw someone grinning over at him.

"Kaza?"

Kazamasa nodded and held up a bag in his hand. "I brought lunch." He glanced at Shinji's scrubs. "Once you change, of course."

Shinji smiled and started walking down the hall, waving for Kazamasa to follow. They walked to the locker room and Kazamasa waited patiently for Shinji to change into some street clothes.

"How did you know this was my break?" Shinji asked as he pulled on his shirt.

Kazamasa shrugged. "I called in and asked when you'd be out of surgery."

Shinji smiled.

. . . . .

"Fucker!"

"What the _fuck_ did you say to me?" Akira shouted, face red.

"I called you a limp dick _faggot_, motherfucker," the man spat. "What are you gonna do about it, sissy boy?"

Akira tore away from his coach and tackled the other man to the ground. He straddled his stomach and punched him in the cheek bone, snapping the man's head to the side with a pained grunt.

"Who are you calling a sissy now, you fucker?!" Akira hollered, punching him again and smirking victoriously as he felt the other man's nose break and blood dribbled down his face.

"Akira, get the fuck off him!" his coach shouted, grabbing him by the arms and pulling him back, thrashing.

"Let the fuck go, man!" Akira growled. "You heard what he said!"

"Yeah, but you don't need to break the guy's neck for it, you dumb shit!" his coach hissed. "You're on parole already!"

His coach didn't have time to say anything before the man with the broken nose ran over and grabbed Akira, throwing him to the ground and kicking his ribs.

"Ah, fuck."

. . . . .

"I like that one better." Takanori pointed to the purple shirt and nodded.

Takashi sighed. "I was hoping you'd choose the pink one."

Takanori rolled his eyes. "You would."

"What does that mean?"

"You kiddin'?" Takanori retorted. "You're the queenliest of all queens, Takashi."

"You aren't much better, mister "thespian"." Takashi pouted.

"If you're implying that sounds like "lesbian", then I officially think you're an idiot," Takanori replied, deadpanned.

Takashi shrugged. "I think the purple shirt would look cute with your black pants."

"I'm not aiming for cute," Takanori muttered. "More like suave."

"You can't look suave in purple."

"I can."

"Oh, la dee da."

"Shut up and give me the shirt, Takashi."

"Just because you're getting like three million for this movie alone doesn't mean you can talk down to me," Takashi said, handing Takanori the shirt.

"Four point two million, thank you," Takanori stated, tugging on the hem of his shirt five times before he could pull it over his head.

"Right. Four point two," Takashi answered, rolling his eyes.

. . . . .

There was a knock at the door and Miyavi jumped up and down. "Visitors!"

"Shut up," Yuu grumbled, standing from his chair and walking to the door. He pulled it open to reveal a haggard looking Yutaka supporting a bloodied and bruised Akira.

Akira averted his eyes and Yutaka looked unimpressed by the situation. "Akira got into another fight," the brunette said. "Let us in."

"Yeah, sure." Yuu stepped aside and let the two in, shutting the door behind them.

"He looks like shit," Miyavi said, looking at Akira.

"You look like shit," Yuu muttered, casting Akira a passing glance as he walked into the kitchen and filled a baggie with some ice.

"The other guy looked worse," Akira murmured with a haughty sigh as he sat down on the living room couch.

Yutaka and Yuu exchanged looks and Yutaka nodded. "It's true. The other guy looked mutilated."

Yuu shook his head and sat down on the couch next to Akira. "You have to stop doing this, 'Kira," he said softly, holding the bag of ice over Akira's black eye.

"He called me a faggot," Akira whined, reaching up and placing his hand over Yuu's to hold the ice firmer against his eye.

Yuu rolled his eyes and kicked Akira's foot. "You can't keep beating the shit out of guys just because they're assholes. That's why you are on parole with anger management classes. People are bastards. Get used to it, Akira." He slid his hand away and sat back into the cushions. "Gonna stay here tonight?"

"Do you mind?"

Yuu shrugged. "I'm used to taking care of your stupid ass."

Akira chuckled.

. . . . .

"What's wrong, baby?" Yutaka asked, brushing away the hair from Kouyou's face and kissing his forehead.

Kouyou shifted in his place on their bed, rolling over onto his side to face his lover. "The principal of the school told me today that the board members will be coming down next month," he said quietly. "Apparently they'll be looking for unique teachers, so he wants me to come up with some sort of skill that sets me apart."

"Well that shouldn't be too hard," Yutaka replied, trying to give his boyfriend a comforting smile.

"I can't think of anything," Kouyou groaned. "I'm at a loss."

Yutaka chewed his lip in thought and rolled onto his back, placing his hands behind his head. "You could teach the kids a second language."

"Don't be ridiculous. They're seven years old."

Yutaka giggled. "Just a thought."

Kouyou huffed and wrapped his arm around Yutaka's waist. "You're not help."

Yutaka flicked Kouyou's shoulder. "I resent that."

"Mm."

"Oh, I know," Yutaka said suddenly, startling the blond lying next to him. "Teach them karate."

"That's up to the gym teacher," Kouyou replied. "I don't help them with physical activities."

They were silent for a long time after that, both in their own thoughts.

"How about music?"

Kouyou frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Learn an instrument and then play for the kids. Maybe even teach them," Yutaka suggested. "They say music helps the brain grow."

"That's actually a good idea, but I don't know if I could find a good teacher in time," Kouyou muttered.

"You're forgetting something, aren't you?" Yutaka answered, looking over at his lover.

Kouyou looked confused. "What?"

"Yuu plays guitar, silly," Yutaka said. "Ask him to teach you."

Kouyou looked unsure. "I don't know, Yutaka. I know he's your high school friend and all, but I don't know him too well."

"Well then this is a chance for you to get to know him, Kou," Yutaka insisted. "He's one of my best friends. It would mean a lot to me if you got to know him better."

Kouyou sighed. "Fine, I'll ask him."

. . . . .

"What did you do today?"

"Chose what I'm going to wear on the red carpet next month." Takanori grinned.

"For me it was a long, hard day of bringing people drinks and letting them ogle me," Kazamasa muttered with a pout.

"I gave a man a new kidney."

Nao blinked. "I think Shinji wins for the "what we did today" chat," he said.

Shinji chuckled and took a drink of his rum and coke. "Transplant patients are always fun."

"You have a warped definition of fun," Takanori pointed out.

Shinji smirked. "You may have a point."

"Has anyone seen Hiroto around?" Kazamasa asked. "He and I were going to go to the racetrack on Friday."

Nao raised his glass and nodded. "I saw him today. He dropped by at a café to give me a pep talk."

"Aren't you usually the one giving the pep talk?" Shinji commented, crossing his arms over his chest and stretching his legs out under the table.

Nao laughed. "Yeah, that's what I said to him. Anyway, don't you have his cell number, Kaza?"

Kazamasa smiled bashfully. "I did, but I lost it."

Nao pulled a pen out of his pocket and grabbed a napkin off the table, jotting a number down on the cloth and handing it to the younger man. "Here. He works from three to ten, I think, but he wakes up early."

"Thank you," Kazamasa said gratefully. "You have been friends with him for a while, right?"

"Yeah, we met through Akira," Nao replied.

"Speaking of Akira," Shinji interjected, finishing off his drink. "Yutaka called me earlier and said Akira got into _another_ fight. He's staying over at Yuu's place tonight."

"Shit, a couple more knocks to that head of his and I have a feeling we'll need to check in there to make sure his brain isn't mush," Takanori quipped, waving a hand through the air. "Has he even been to one of those classes the court ordered?"

"I doubt it," Nao murmured. "You know Akira. He hates doing what he's told."

"Who knows what he's do without Yuu and Yutaka," Shinji said. "Those two really watch out for him."

"Well they've been friends since high school," Takanori responded. "That's a fuckin' decade."

"Almost fifteen years, actually," Nao observed.

Takanori groaned. "Don't remind me that we're approaching the thirty years old mark, man. I don't want to remember that."

Kazamasa giggled.

"Oh shut up, Tiny Tim," Takanori sniffed. "We all know you're the baby of the group. Not even fuckin' twenty yet. It's a joke."

"I'm not a baby!" Kazamasa huffed. "I'm twenty next month, I'll have you know."

"Oh, how exciting," Takanori cooed, grinning. "I'm ten years older than you and I've got a helluva filmography to show for it, kid."

Kazamasa glared half-heartedly and sat back in his seat. "Mister big and famous."

Takanori nodded. "Damn right I am. I've earned it."

Suddenly there was a sharp beeping noise and Shinji shot up in his seat, reaching down to look at his beeper. "Ah, shit, they're paging me in," he groaned. "It's fuckin midnight and they're paging me in." He grabbed his coat and stood from his seat. "Sorry guys. I gotta go."

They all said their goodbyes and Shinji left into the night, leaving the other three sitting in silence.

"It must suck being on call like that," Kazamasa said thoughtfully. "I'm glad my clients can't call me up any time."

"What's it like?" Takanori asked. "Being an escort, I mean."

"I don't know," Kazamasa responded with a shrug. "I mean… I'm good at it, but it's not really what I like to do or anything. It's easy enough to smile and men and make them think you're interested. Getting paid for it is a plus, that's for sure, but I really wish my art would take off so I could survive off of that instead of letter men gawk at me all afternoon."

"I would have thought it would be nice to be gawked at for being pretty," Takanori said, tapping his fingers on the table.

"You think I'm pretty?" Kazamasa inquired with a smile.

Takanori rolled his eyes. "With those lips kid? A stunner, I'd say."

"You're too kind." Humored sarcasm.

"Probably."

Nao swirled his straw around in his glass. "I went to the art gallery with your work yesterday," he said, looking over at Kazamasa. "It's impressive, Kaza. Seriously, I would buy that stuff."

"Buy it then," Kazamasa said, laughter evident in his voice. "I could use the cash."

"I heard being an escort pays pretty well," Takanori said, crossing his legs.

"Not when you're renting an apartment in this city it doesn't," Kazamasa replied. "I could use spare change."

"Go hold a coffee cup on the street corner, then," Nao said jokingly.

"Tried it, but all I got were old gum wrappers and condoms," Kazamasa retorted with a wink.

"Beggars can't be choosers," Nao said wisely, nodding and stroking his chin.

Takanori laughed. "And these are the people I hang out with."

"Bah, you love us!" Kazamasa declared, pumping his fist into the air.

"We are the best you'll ever get, Taka," Nao said, slapping Takanori on the shoulder. "Appreciate us."

Takanori rolled his eyes and threw his hands up. "I guess I'm stuck with you."

"Acceptance is the first key to happiness."

. . . . .

_Be grateful for those around you, for you never know what your life would be like without them._


End file.
